Wednesday, August 26, 2009

SPIRITUOUS JOURNEY: WELL WORTH STIRRING FOR

Two of the most extraordinary people I have met in the food and drink world are Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown, the uber-couple of the cocktail making world and creators of the excellent website SHAKEN NOT STIRRED: A CELEBRATION OF THE MARTINI

Every time I have bumped into them at a party or an event in the last couple of years they have been insisting that they are working on a book, which will be "out soon" I heard the tale so often that, when I saw them at this year's rather lousy Bar Show, and Anistatia told me "it's done, I am going to send you a copy" I just smiled, nodded politely and went off to find some free stuff to drink.

Well, what do you know? A few days ago, a copy of SPIRITUOUS JOURNEY plopped through my letterbox. It is the first part of a two book series and charts the history of booze from the birth of spirits to the birth of the cocktail.

For anyone who is slightly obsessed with cocktails like me, it is a must. Anistatia and Jared's writing style is immediate and engaging and not only is the book a testament to great research it is also filled with the sort of facts that make it possible to bore at an international level.

Did you know, for example, that the term "proof" came from testing the alcohol levels of spirits by pouring them over gunpowder and igniting them? If they went up in flames, there was sufficient alcohol in the spirit and it was deemed 100% proof.

With a smattering of historical cocktail recipes too, I am pretty sure reading this book will take up a good part of my Bank Holiday.

What The Papers Say

"If sites were shops egullet would be Selfridges, a massive department store trying to cater to all tastes. Sometimes, though, I want a boutique operation. Top of these is Dos Hermanos, the blog of the two half-Bengali half-Welsh Majumdar brothers, who eat out more than is strictly necessary and write very well about it." Jay Rayner (Guardian)

Our fans speak

"these guys are the don daddas of London eating blogging" viktorvaughn

"Simon M and his bro. have got to be the rock gods of the UK food blog" Harters

"What a pair of idiots you two are - who asked your opinion and for your tedious website to appear when i googled this restaurant!" Galloping Gourmet

"Two guys who write reviews about mostly London restaurants. They are a bit up their own arses but an interesting read anyways" Anonymous